Patara — Restaurant Review

Patara Fine Thai Cuisine is a international thai cuisine restaurant chain with restaurants in Beijing, Bangkok, London, Singapore, Geneva, and Vienna. Its Beijing branch is located at Jinbao Place in the Dongcheng District, near the heart of the city. At the time of our visit, the restaurant was not crowded. The interior is spacious and neatly decorated, without many unnecessary details, giving the space a straightforward, candid but nonetheless polished atmosphere. The restaurant veers a bit on the pricey side, averaging about RMB 200-250 per person for a meal, and with its long evening hours, could make for a great spot for a nice dinner out.

Salads and various appetizers may be a good way to start off the meal, with options including crispy spring rolls, accompanied with the red sweet and sour sauce with the familiar sticky consistency. If you’re in the mood for a salad with not just leaves, the shrimp with a fresh, untainted taste could make a great contribution to a healthy choice before the main course.

The pad thai, shown in the photo above, was prepared with shrimp, with a lemon slice and a small sprinkled pile of red pepper spice on the side, giving one the choice of how to season the dish according to individual preference. The portion size is quite reasonable, and one person can probably finish the entire dish as a main course. There is nothing necessarily unique or remarkable about the pad thai, so if you’re looking for something familiar and classic, and not in for any surprises, this is a very safe choice ensured to fulfill your expectations.

The red curry with salmon is surprisingly good in that in this combination that you’ve likely not heard of before, both the salmon and the curry are pleasing individually, and yet put together they do not detract from each other’s taste either. The salmon is tender and separates easily into pieces, while the curry may also be used separately to eat with rice.

A common thai dessert, the mango and sticky rice with coconut milk taste much the same as you would expect it to. The slight sweetness of the sticky rice and the freshness of the mango slices covered by the smoothness of the coconut milk combine seamlessly in one spoonful of delightful softness and silkiness. If you don’t have much of a sweet tooth, this is also a great choice, because while definitely sweet enough to merit the title of a dessert, it is by no means overly sugary in a sickening way, and its sweetness contains a freshness that is gentle and subtle, yet distinct and identifiable.